With reference to a TwitDoc document recently posted, as well as emails received from another credible source, I listened to a recent radio interview with Dave Colburn (@davecolb), where the subject of closing schools comes up.
Dave specifically states that he never voted to close a school.
Yet this document also includes information which relates to a story published by the Edmonton Journal in the Letters section, dated March 27th, 2009, and it also contains information directly from the school boards minutes, which "for the record" shows that indeed Dave DID vote to close schools.
Well.. I'm shocked. The appearance of it all is that Dave lied...
In my books, if you are going to start out this way, then you simply can not be trusted. .. Time after time we hear politicians spinning stories to get elected and then we hear the change of the tune of the music. The Alberta Government doesn't seem to have any interest in changing the laws to protect the public. This election year will be the first time we have voted in locals for 4 years instead of 3.
Pick wisely. Preferably someone that doesn't lie out of the box. I hope Ward 7 folks get this...
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Election 2013 Issues Part 2 - Bike Lanes
I've noted over the past few months, several people who are really strong bike people, doing a lot of "rah rah" for the Iveson camp. Apparently Don enjoys the bike rides, as many people do. And lets face it, riding a bike is economical, and in some situations very practical.
We need to remember to keep the 'hype' factor under some control though. This is after all, Edmonton. We are not now, and never will be a city where using a bike for transportation is a "preferred mode". We just are not like many places where bikes rule, and no matter how you cut it, we never can be. The simple fact of the matter is Edmonton IS a winter city.
Sadly, city council has taken the steps to appease many bike folks, in a manner that has removed the unspoken rights of both residents and drivers. Oh I can hear the screams now... streets are public property, you don't have the right to park in front of your residence. And legally speaking, that is of course 100% true. So, since people don't have that right, lets be fair and tell all citizens they can no longer park in front of where they live. Nor can their guests. Nor can the care givers serving the elderly. Delivery trucks and moving vans are also banned. All of the residential type roads are now restricted to only allowing bike traffic.
The above is, of course, a most insane thought. But it is also just as insane to tell seniors that have lived in the same house for decades, they can't park in front anymore, because a bike lane needs to be done. And for people living in apartments, they have to tell their visitors (grandparents included) that they now have to park 2 blocks (or more) away, and have to walk the rest. And since several streets have many blocks where parking is no longer allowed, those "far away" places are jammed up with more people parking and walking, making it more difficult for friends and neighbors to to find a place to park.. well, we end up with a big shuffle, and a LOT of pissed off people who's property values have nowcrashed fallen..
The biggest problem in all of this, is the city. They have not put any type of valid thought into doing these bike lanes, and they certainly love to spend piles of money painting lines on roads that will never be seen in winter. Ah yes, here we are again, back dealing with city planners. Not only have city planners done some of the most insane things over the past decade, city council driven by Mayor Mandel, has been famous for holding public hearings and information sessions, and could care less what you have to say.
The other thing I've noticed is people seem to be bashing Kerry Diotte, trying to imply he hates the bike lanes. And as with the majority of issues in this election, Kerry has simply been saying that the implementation of this concept of bike lanes... is wrong. There has to be a better way, that doesn't eliminate parking for people who live where bike lanes are. And he's right.
We all know we should look at this issue, and try to figure out a better way. Most people don't want to live in an area where their friends and family are not allowed to visit with the same freedoms as other areas. And I've had these conversations with several bike people who have said "hell ya, I'd love to live in an area like that".. SO.. how about this for an idea then.. Why don't all of the bike folks band together and move to a certain area designated for just people with bikes? And only people with bikes can visit them? I mean, they are so passionate about it...
Yeah.. Right... some ideas are clearly really stupid... Including the current city (cough) plan. Kerry wants to find a different way. There has to be a better way. And no, I don't personally know what that would BE but someone out there must have a brilliant idea that will work. We can only FIND that, if we talk about it.
We need to remember to keep the 'hype' factor under some control though. This is after all, Edmonton. We are not now, and never will be a city where using a bike for transportation is a "preferred mode". We just are not like many places where bikes rule, and no matter how you cut it, we never can be. The simple fact of the matter is Edmonton IS a winter city.
Sadly, city council has taken the steps to appease many bike folks, in a manner that has removed the unspoken rights of both residents and drivers. Oh I can hear the screams now... streets are public property, you don't have the right to park in front of your residence. And legally speaking, that is of course 100% true. So, since people don't have that right, lets be fair and tell all citizens they can no longer park in front of where they live. Nor can their guests. Nor can the care givers serving the elderly. Delivery trucks and moving vans are also banned. All of the residential type roads are now restricted to only allowing bike traffic.
The above is, of course, a most insane thought. But it is also just as insane to tell seniors that have lived in the same house for decades, they can't park in front anymore, because a bike lane needs to be done. And for people living in apartments, they have to tell their visitors (grandparents included) that they now have to park 2 blocks (or more) away, and have to walk the rest. And since several streets have many blocks where parking is no longer allowed, those "far away" places are jammed up with more people parking and walking, making it more difficult for friends and neighbors to to find a place to park.. well, we end up with a big shuffle, and a LOT of pissed off people who's property values have now
The biggest problem in all of this, is the city. They have not put any type of valid thought into doing these bike lanes, and they certainly love to spend piles of money painting lines on roads that will never be seen in winter. Ah yes, here we are again, back dealing with city planners. Not only have city planners done some of the most insane things over the past decade, city council driven by Mayor Mandel, has been famous for holding public hearings and information sessions, and could care less what you have to say.
The other thing I've noticed is people seem to be bashing Kerry Diotte, trying to imply he hates the bike lanes. And as with the majority of issues in this election, Kerry has simply been saying that the implementation of this concept of bike lanes... is wrong. There has to be a better way, that doesn't eliminate parking for people who live where bike lanes are. And he's right.
We all know we should look at this issue, and try to figure out a better way. Most people don't want to live in an area where their friends and family are not allowed to visit with the same freedoms as other areas. And I've had these conversations with several bike people who have said "hell ya, I'd love to live in an area like that".. SO.. how about this for an idea then.. Why don't all of the bike folks band together and move to a certain area designated for just people with bikes? And only people with bikes can visit them? I mean, they are so passionate about it...
Yeah.. Right... some ideas are clearly really stupid... Including the current city (cough) plan. Kerry wants to find a different way. There has to be a better way. And no, I don't personally know what that would BE but someone out there must have a brilliant idea that will work. We can only FIND that, if we talk about it.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Is Twitter losing it?
Anyone who is "connected" these days, is doing some form of social media (SM) involvement. Most of us have witnessed the growth of FaceBook, and have been royally turned off by the pettiness of the changes made over the years. And of course, now we know more about the data spying from Big Brother and the companies involved. I'm positive there is a lot more to come from that side. .. Anyway..
Along came Twitter.. some think it's the best thing since sliced tea, and the small project has grown at an outstanding rate. Millions all over the world are using it, and it has probably been the biggest god send of life saving and information 'passing on' in history. But now we have a problem. It's kind of a weird one, I suspect a lot of it is to do with the huge scale and complexity Twitter has grown into. As a computer professional and a database and programmer expert, I honestly do get the issues that the company is facing. Providing a world saving medium for people to use, for free... is a massive undertaking. And I respect that, a lot.
But now I have some major concerns. Twitter has grown so large, the amount of data being processed at lightning speeds is so massive, something has to be done to control it. I get that. I just don't like the way it's being done. In order to really understand the process, you have to "get" a bit of an explanation of the process. Basically speaking, Twitter is whats referred to as a "client/server" program. The client is the side that you use (web or desktop or phone app) and the server part is where all the real magic happens.
The Twitter developers have created an API (application programming interface) that removes all of the needs for the client to control most of things. The client side will login to twitter by sending a name and password, and then the server side knows it can send stuff. The client at login, will send a "hey, gimme all my stuff" command to the server. The client could care less how. The server will use the API code it has, and figure everything out, and do what's needed. This process allows the client program to remain simple, without the need to be updated all of the time, because most of the "behind the scene changes" are done by the server, under the control of the developers. Exactly as things should be done.
This growth though, has the developers in complete control of what you see. As with most things in life, ignorance is bliss. What you don't know won't hurt you (or so they say). Many moons back, I latched on to the TweetDeck program, and over the course of time, very few updates were done on how it works. And then Twitter bought them, started working on new versions, and development and support for the old version vanished. More time passed, and the old version was removed as a download, forcing people into the new version. Which sucked. No offense... it just sucked. Thankfully, I've been able to hang on to the old version.
Much of what I am about to show you in graphics, many of you will say "but my phone app has always been that way". You are probably right. Phone apps are constantly being updated as Twitter makes API changes, because they want their apps to work. All of those changes were ignored for the old tweetdeck because it was going to be phased out.. who cared...
Using the old tweetdeck over the years, I've seen many conversations between people I know and people I don't know. Some of those have interested me, so I have often "jumped in" to make comments or learn more. Many of them have interested me to the point where I have ended up following those other people, and my little 'community' has grown at a pace that I am most happy with. In several of those conversations with people I didn't know, I've been able to help with computer issues, household issues, plumbing and electrical suggestions/fixes and a lot more. I've given free advice and people have had instant help. I mean, isn't that what life should be about? Helping thy neighbor? ... And as the world has grown into this massive global state of upheaval and unrest, much of it from a vastly corrupt political system, I've been able to see things, get educated on events, and tossed my help and support into things that are in desperate need of being fixed.
The problem now however, is that Twitter will be shutting down all of the old API code it has been using, which means very soon, my old tweetdeck will just not work at all, and I will be forced into the "new and improved" versions.. (this ultimately means its new because we changed it, and its improved what we do or make... it seldom means you are getting anything better). Today I did up 3 screen shots, showing the old and new side by side. You can see the new side missing a lot of what the old side gave. I no longer will see many of those calls for help from others. I will miss out on important and critical information about local and provincial and federal and world events. .. because one (or more) of the people sending or responding to tweets, will be folks I don't follow. And Twitter has taken it upon themselves to decide that just because I don't follow one of them, then I have no rights or interests in knowing anything about the conversation. But if I go to that persons webpage that I DO follow.. all of it is there for me in plain sight. Twitter has now taken the stance that it is up to them to determine what is important to me...
And that my friends, is a HUGE fail.. for all of us. We won't see things we can help with, or want to be informed of, and possibly NEED to be informed of. Please check the following 3 screen shots. You can see what the new system is not saying. In my opinion, it's really difficult to be a part of SOCIAL media, when the 'social' aspect is being taken away from you.
I get that many of you will say "that's the way its always been", and I'm saying that's the way you have been used to because you didn't know otherwise. When I was discussing this in twitter the other day, I had one (now former) follower state that I was being 'nosy' by butting into other peoples conversations. They were a locked account, and I wonder how they decided to follow me, if they had not seen me in a part of a local conversation. Hell, in my mind, this is the way most people probably find new people to follow.
I also "get" that for many, this is the way you like it... only the people that you follow and the people your people mention that you follow, show up in your time line. And to that I say "to each their own". More power to you if that is the way YOU choose to use your SOCIAL media.
For me, I like being 'nosy'.. I like seeing what others are saying, I like being SOCIAL. And I wonder why that is being taken away from me. As a programmer, one of the things that I LOVE doing is coding in options so that people can customize what I make, so that it works for THEM and not for me. As a professional, that is my job... to give people what they want, even when they don't know they want it. Would it be so hard for twitter and the developers to add in an option that says "Show me all the tweets from all that I follow" or "Show me just the tweets from the people I follow, where their tweets have only the people I also follow".
If you can follow that logic..
Along came Twitter.. some think it's the best thing since sliced tea, and the small project has grown at an outstanding rate. Millions all over the world are using it, and it has probably been the biggest god send of life saving and information 'passing on' in history. But now we have a problem. It's kind of a weird one, I suspect a lot of it is to do with the huge scale and complexity Twitter has grown into. As a computer professional and a database and programmer expert, I honestly do get the issues that the company is facing. Providing a world saving medium for people to use, for free... is a massive undertaking. And I respect that, a lot.
But now I have some major concerns. Twitter has grown so large, the amount of data being processed at lightning speeds is so massive, something has to be done to control it. I get that. I just don't like the way it's being done. In order to really understand the process, you have to "get" a bit of an explanation of the process. Basically speaking, Twitter is whats referred to as a "client/server" program. The client is the side that you use (web or desktop or phone app) and the server part is where all the real magic happens.
The Twitter developers have created an API (application programming interface) that removes all of the needs for the client to control most of things. The client side will login to twitter by sending a name and password, and then the server side knows it can send stuff. The client at login, will send a "hey, gimme all my stuff" command to the server. The client could care less how. The server will use the API code it has, and figure everything out, and do what's needed. This process allows the client program to remain simple, without the need to be updated all of the time, because most of the "behind the scene changes" are done by the server, under the control of the developers. Exactly as things should be done.
This growth though, has the developers in complete control of what you see. As with most things in life, ignorance is bliss. What you don't know won't hurt you (or so they say). Many moons back, I latched on to the TweetDeck program, and over the course of time, very few updates were done on how it works. And then Twitter bought them, started working on new versions, and development and support for the old version vanished. More time passed, and the old version was removed as a download, forcing people into the new version. Which sucked. No offense... it just sucked. Thankfully, I've been able to hang on to the old version.
Much of what I am about to show you in graphics, many of you will say "but my phone app has always been that way". You are probably right. Phone apps are constantly being updated as Twitter makes API changes, because they want their apps to work. All of those changes were ignored for the old tweetdeck because it was going to be phased out.. who cared...
Using the old tweetdeck over the years, I've seen many conversations between people I know and people I don't know. Some of those have interested me, so I have often "jumped in" to make comments or learn more. Many of them have interested me to the point where I have ended up following those other people, and my little 'community' has grown at a pace that I am most happy with. In several of those conversations with people I didn't know, I've been able to help with computer issues, household issues, plumbing and electrical suggestions/fixes and a lot more. I've given free advice and people have had instant help. I mean, isn't that what life should be about? Helping thy neighbor? ... And as the world has grown into this massive global state of upheaval and unrest, much of it from a vastly corrupt political system, I've been able to see things, get educated on events, and tossed my help and support into things that are in desperate need of being fixed.
The problem now however, is that Twitter will be shutting down all of the old API code it has been using, which means very soon, my old tweetdeck will just not work at all, and I will be forced into the "new and improved" versions.. (this ultimately means its new because we changed it, and its improved what we do or make... it seldom means you are getting anything better). Today I did up 3 screen shots, showing the old and new side by side. You can see the new side missing a lot of what the old side gave. I no longer will see many of those calls for help from others. I will miss out on important and critical information about local and provincial and federal and world events. .. because one (or more) of the people sending or responding to tweets, will be folks I don't follow. And Twitter has taken it upon themselves to decide that just because I don't follow one of them, then I have no rights or interests in knowing anything about the conversation. But if I go to that persons webpage that I DO follow.. all of it is there for me in plain sight. Twitter has now taken the stance that it is up to them to determine what is important to me...
And that my friends, is a HUGE fail.. for all of us. We won't see things we can help with, or want to be informed of, and possibly NEED to be informed of. Please check the following 3 screen shots. You can see what the new system is not saying. In my opinion, it's really difficult to be a part of SOCIAL media, when the 'social' aspect is being taken away from you.
 |
| In this example, Glen in the lower right (old tweetdeck) 'starts' this pic, two tweets are missed from going to the left side (new tweetdeck) to Michals's tweet. Whats not show here, is the next 3 tweets after mparkatt, were never shown in the new version. One of them being a RT dealing with important political information. |
 |
| Example 2 shows THREE tweets missed by the new API code, which appears to be some really super great local causes I could have been interested in supporting or knowing more about. The new and improved "Ignorance is Bliss" is suggesting that helping out good causes is none of my business. *sigh. |
 | ||
| The final example details a reference from our local Pride center on the bottom right (old version again) followed by FOUR missed tweets. Some great people, great organizations, really decent information and ideas... all gone "poof". |
I also "get" that for many, this is the way you like it... only the people that you follow and the people your people mention that you follow, show up in your time line. And to that I say "to each their own". More power to you if that is the way YOU choose to use your SOCIAL media.
For me, I like being 'nosy'.. I like seeing what others are saying, I like being SOCIAL. And I wonder why that is being taken away from me. As a programmer, one of the things that I LOVE doing is coding in options so that people can customize what I make, so that it works for THEM and not for me. As a professional, that is my job... to give people what they want, even when they don't know they want it. Would it be so hard for twitter and the developers to add in an option that says "Show me all the tweets from all that I follow" or "Show me just the tweets from the people I follow, where their tweets have only the people I also follow".
If you can follow that logic..
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Election 2013 Issues Part 1 - CD Days
I labelled this "part 1" because I'm sure there are going to be a lot of parts over the next few months. And at the sake of sounding 'sanctimonious' most of the things that I want to bring up should really be common sense. Which is a trait that the City seems to lack a lot of.
Day after day, week after week, month after month... we the citizens of this great city (and in my mind, Edmonton really IS a great city) see more and more "stupidity" in the things the city does. Our taxes are beingused abused by a process that is extremely inefficient. And most city employees will agree that more often than not, the left hand has no clue what the right hand is doing. Yet they won't do anything because its been tried to be fixed before and nothing has ever come from that either.
Do note. I worked for the City for 3 years, 22 of those months as being a "temp" employee before I was hired on permanently. And then because I did things right, the right way, and stood up for doing things the right way instead of the politically correct way (kissing ass) I was forced to resign. During my 3 years, I learned a lot about the hypocritical aspects of abuse and waste... and I think its time that the rest of the taxpayers understand one of the biggest reason WHY the system is so broken. More interestingly, the cure is not difficult to do however getting it to happen means going against the status quo..which for the most part, would be all employees of the city not wanting to give up something they've had.. the 'something' that creates the most wasteful system ever. .. and that is "time".
As a temp employee, I worked the normal hours but I didn't qualify for the normal benefits.. things such as holidays, pension, etc.. I also didn't qualify for what is referred to as a "CD day". CD days are a result of contracts negotiated by the Unions (like the one that never stood up for me) that say 'only so many hours are worked in a week', but at the same time the city expects employees to work a normal full day. So each day you work, you work just a little bit longer than your union contract defines, and over a few weeks you have earned enough 'extra time' to earn a day off. And in the past that may have been a practical benefit to have. But it no longer applies in the economy of today's world.
Anyway, as a temp, I would always be around during working hours, and often I would need to have meetings with others so I could plan my work projects to fill their desires. I would be just blasting away doing programming and run into a simple question. So I called or walked to their offices, only to find out they were on a CD day.. and my work on that project stopped. I always had other things to do, but I couldn't finish the current item, and everything would end up getting delayed and shuffled around.
The things that needed to be done could not be done because the other people involved were on a day off. And that is a HUGE waste of time. And.. time is money. YOUR money.
All over the world, people are having to bite the bullet and take less pay and/or reduced benefits. Governments all over are cutting back on staff and services, or wage hikes are being postponed. Yet here in Edmonton, we keep going merrily along our wayspending wasting money without an issue. I have to figure that if the world is that bad off, then 'we' (the government taxpayer paid employees) should be subject to the same values.
Lets be clear. A lot of city employees get paid really decent money for the most part. I'm sure there are probably some lower paying positions... but on the whole, its great money, and for many, the work isn't really all that difficult to do. I do think some positions are vastly over paid, especially considering the amount of real work done versus all the time wasted on meetings that many miss... but that's another item for another post.
Basically... it is my belief that the City needs to step up and tell the unions that CD days are no longer practical... that too much of the taxpayer dollars are being wasted and too much time is being wasted. Efficiencies need to be made in the system and that can only start when everyone all works together, instead of a day here or there. (As a side note, these days off are always taken on a Monday or a Friday because it made for a long weekend.)
It would not hurt for employees to give up that CD day. I'm sure some depend on it, but we the people need to start thinking about the benefits for the many, and not just for the few. And I'm sure some form of plans or assistance would be allowed for in special circumstances... something can always be worked out for those people that actually NEED it.. Most don't, its one of those "nice to have" things versus a need.
Taxpayers are the ones that have that need... and its time to step up to the plate to do the parts that are needed to be done. It's certainly a small price to pay considering the current state of the world economy. Not only that, can you imagine just how much faster and better things would be done, when everyone is actually AT work and doing work? Hell, we might not even need to have tax increases because of all of the money saved by getting things done faster and more accurately..
Or.. we can keep wasting time and money, keep doing things the worst way possible, and tax ourselves to death.
Tell me.. just how well is your money tree growing? I know mine has died. I suspect yours has too, or if not, it's probably wilting a lot more than you are comfortable with.
(edited addition from comments)
Just as a side note, you may not have noticed... but there is ALWAYS someone taking Friday off, someone ALWAYS taking Monday off. Every week, 52 weeks per year.
This means that the City only works "well" for 3 days a week. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The rest is at best, a hit and miss day. And we just can't keep dong this.
Can you imagine how much more efficient work would be done by working 5 days a week, like everyone else? How much faster things would get done. And faster means less cost. Less cost allows for more projects. More projects means keeping more people active... the list of "good" things that can come to the taxpayers is HUGE. The only "bad" thing is some city workers are going to be pissed off over a few minutes a day.
People all over are giving up something, around the world. I think it's time we started to do our part too. I'm sure the seniors and those on fixed incomes will be happy to see things getting done faster, combined with a zero tax hike.
Day after day, week after week, month after month... we the citizens of this great city (and in my mind, Edmonton really IS a great city) see more and more "stupidity" in the things the city does. Our taxes are being
Do note. I worked for the City for 3 years, 22 of those months as being a "temp" employee before I was hired on permanently. And then because I did things right, the right way, and stood up for doing things the right way instead of the politically correct way (kissing ass) I was forced to resign. During my 3 years, I learned a lot about the hypocritical aspects of abuse and waste... and I think its time that the rest of the taxpayers understand one of the biggest reason WHY the system is so broken. More interestingly, the cure is not difficult to do however getting it to happen means going against the status quo..which for the most part, would be all employees of the city not wanting to give up something they've had.. the 'something' that creates the most wasteful system ever. .. and that is "time".
As a temp employee, I worked the normal hours but I didn't qualify for the normal benefits.. things such as holidays, pension, etc.. I also didn't qualify for what is referred to as a "CD day". CD days are a result of contracts negotiated by the Unions (like the one that never stood up for me) that say 'only so many hours are worked in a week', but at the same time the city expects employees to work a normal full day. So each day you work, you work just a little bit longer than your union contract defines, and over a few weeks you have earned enough 'extra time' to earn a day off. And in the past that may have been a practical benefit to have. But it no longer applies in the economy of today's world.
Anyway, as a temp, I would always be around during working hours, and often I would need to have meetings with others so I could plan my work projects to fill their desires. I would be just blasting away doing programming and run into a simple question. So I called or walked to their offices, only to find out they were on a CD day.. and my work on that project stopped. I always had other things to do, but I couldn't finish the current item, and everything would end up getting delayed and shuffled around.
The things that needed to be done could not be done because the other people involved were on a day off. And that is a HUGE waste of time. And.. time is money. YOUR money.
All over the world, people are having to bite the bullet and take less pay and/or reduced benefits. Governments all over are cutting back on staff and services, or wage hikes are being postponed. Yet here in Edmonton, we keep going merrily along our way
Lets be clear. A lot of city employees get paid really decent money for the most part. I'm sure there are probably some lower paying positions... but on the whole, its great money, and for many, the work isn't really all that difficult to do. I do think some positions are vastly over paid, especially considering the amount of real work done versus all the time wasted on meetings that many miss... but that's another item for another post.
Basically... it is my belief that the City needs to step up and tell the unions that CD days are no longer practical... that too much of the taxpayer dollars are being wasted and too much time is being wasted. Efficiencies need to be made in the system and that can only start when everyone all works together, instead of a day here or there. (As a side note, these days off are always taken on a Monday or a Friday because it made for a long weekend.)
It would not hurt for employees to give up that CD day. I'm sure some depend on it, but we the people need to start thinking about the benefits for the many, and not just for the few. And I'm sure some form of plans or assistance would be allowed for in special circumstances... something can always be worked out for those people that actually NEED it.. Most don't, its one of those "nice to have" things versus a need.
Taxpayers are the ones that have that need... and its time to step up to the plate to do the parts that are needed to be done. It's certainly a small price to pay considering the current state of the world economy. Not only that, can you imagine just how much faster and better things would be done, when everyone is actually AT work and doing work? Hell, we might not even need to have tax increases because of all of the money saved by getting things done faster and more accurately..
Or.. we can keep wasting time and money, keep doing things the worst way possible, and tax ourselves to death.
Tell me.. just how well is your money tree growing? I know mine has died. I suspect yours has too, or if not, it's probably wilting a lot more than you are comfortable with.
(edited addition from comments)
Just as a side note, you may not have noticed... but there is ALWAYS someone taking Friday off, someone ALWAYS taking Monday off. Every week, 52 weeks per year.
This means that the City only works "well" for 3 days a week. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The rest is at best, a hit and miss day. And we just can't keep dong this.
Can you imagine how much more efficient work would be done by working 5 days a week, like everyone else? How much faster things would get done. And faster means less cost. Less cost allows for more projects. More projects means keeping more people active... the list of "good" things that can come to the taxpayers is HUGE. The only "bad" thing is some city workers are going to be pissed off over a few minutes a day.
People all over are giving up something, around the world. I think it's time we started to do our part too. I'm sure the seniors and those on fixed incomes will be happy to see things getting done faster, combined with a zero tax hike.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Edmonton Election 2013
I thought I would dedicate my 90,000th tweet to some thoughts on the upcoming civic election. Parts of this come from my own personal observations, parts from discussions with thousands of other people, and some from family members and close friends.
I've also tried to balance some sound logic, combined with wisdom.. and a little bit of help (okay, I lied..a lot of help) from reading a most excellent book by the renowned author John Perkins, entitled "Hoodwinked". Hint.. google or bing "hoodwinked john perkins" and perhaps check out some of the various entries and youtube items.
As I write this post, the only one to step up for the Mayor's position has been Kerry Diotte. I personally like the approach Kerry takes, because he has a desire to listen to anyone. Just because you don't live in his riding doesn't seem to matter. He is one of the few people that wants to stand up for doing things better, rather than just pushing things through. Some heckle him for his supposed "lack of participation" in council, but his *logic* is sound. Yes, he didn't like the arena deal. He's not opposed to an arena, just a deal where taxpayers pay literally everything, and get nothing back. Sure, you could argue "but the city as a whole will" and that is very questionable.. Everywhere this type of project has been done, under the type of terms of this project.. has failed. To think we could be the 'universal exception' is insane. And I've heard he wants to re-think the bike lanes. Putting aside the need or not... the WAY they have been done is stupid. And this again points to just how many STUPID things council, administration, and planners have done. Anyway, as a side note.. there is this "but he doesn't do anything, he sits there and tweets all the time". And much of that comes from his assistant, not from him..
In my humble opinion, someone needs to reign in the insanity of stuff happening, because for sure we can't keep doing stupid things that waste money.
As far as Mayor Mandel goes, I doubt he will run again. Term after term has been full of lies after lies and deception combined with misdirection. A lot of people would like to see him charged criminally.
Next in the list would be Don Iveson. He's said he will not run for council again, but will run for Mayor. Don is the cute guy with the pretty wife, the "picture perfect" scenario that people love to believe in. And many think that the folks that back Mandel will pass their financial support to Don.Well... you will probably find (sadly, not until after the election) that a lot of huge corporate support will be behind anyone that was "pro arena" on council, because those corporations have a vested interest in seeing what THEY want done and for the most part.. that means what is good for them, not for you and me. Many have suggested Don will be a bought and paid for Mayor. That's not what I want. Top that off with his statement about the arena deal (paraphrased by me) suggesting that this deal was the best deal "we" could make. And he is right. It is. Except it's for Katz.. not for the city and certainly not for the taxpayers. But don't take my word for it, ask any valid unbiased economics professional and they will all say the same thing. Taxpayers have been screwed. There is also the issue with the airport. Don tweeted a "booyah" comment (around last summer I think) and I responded to him that he shouldn't be so happy because a baby died (likely) as a direct result of the best runway being closed. He had the nerve to respond by cutting ME down and accusing ME of trying to take advantage of the death. Well Don, facts are facts. Council was made aware of this baby's death and your attempt to me me look like the bad guy in it just smacks of your morals. Typical political pondering with words... insult the people.. to hell with the baby... who cares... *Jerk.
Who else will run, I have no clue on. So the next step would be the council side of things.
For the most part, most of those left on council are nothing more than "yes men" for Mandel. I have refereed to them as being "lap dogs" because they seem to come at the beck and call of the Mayor, and play 'fetch the stick with the message I wrote on it that I want you to say for me'.
Kimmie is a joke. She says she asks the "tough questions", and I guess asking what time dinner is served is pretty hard. (joking).. All you need to to is look at council transcripts and see she has been full of the "nudge nudge wink wink" things involving the CFO and City Manager. (side note.. both need to be fired when a new council comes in.. my opinion of course.)
Loken is another joke.. and another proven liar. Look at his election promises from before (I never really paid attention because he is not 'my' person, but the facts are out there) and from my own personal experience in dealing directly with him, he has lied to me. Again, all of that has been posted before. Not that long back, Loken was pissed at me because I was telling the truth. Not something that I had been screaming at him directly for days and days on end. Just the odd statement here and there. Many are aware of the thread, and he was forced to apologize "generically" but he never did apologize to me. Oh no.. The forever classy Mr. Loken decided that he would abuse his position as a council member and "suggest" to the police that I was a threat. And of course the police called to investigate, and harassed me over this. FOIP records from both EPS and the City show this. The cops for the most part (paraphrased again) knew his complaint was 'brain dead' but I got hassled none the less. Whats the matter Dave? You can't take the truth so you abuse the process to get your digs in? What a failure you are as a council member and as a human being. So petty, so pathetic..
There are a few on council who apparently have been 'bribed'.. (a term told to me by a trusted source within the City) with various things. Its been said that one council member was given the Mayors trip to China, in exchange for his arena vote. Circumstantial evidence would appear to imply that, since this council member came out with a huge "why we should" just before the trip..
I am not that totally aware of the others, but I have had much experience with my own council member, which is Caterina. Tony has got to be one of the biggest jokes I've ever seen.The lip service from him and his office is mind boggling to say the least. I've been after him for YEARS to set up an appointment and sit down with a coffee to discuss issues in my ward. I'm still waiting. .. A few years back, the city just showed up and covered over our concrete sidewalk with asphalt with zero warning. A complete waste of money, and I did complain about it. Someone came out and said "look, this will last for years" and I politely told them they were full of shit (again, paraphrased). Naturally, the next year it has started to fall apart and now its pretty much in a worse state than it was before... Anyway, the taxes for asphalt are less than for concrete.. and I've complained to Tony several times. Nothing has ever been done, and he has never once even returned any of my phone calls. So we keep paying more than what we should. And he clearly could care less. Add that in with his swishy-washy stance on the arena... Bottom line, you know what they say about how useful tits on a board are. Yep, that's my Tony. You are just another one of the many that do not deserve to be in the position you are in. I hope you are looking for another job, my friend..
Again.. please.. if you are going to comment on this, and start giving me crap about how out to lunch I am and that I don't have a clue what's going on.. I remind you, I am not a kid... at 59 years old I have been around the block several times, and I have way more life experience under my belt, in situations and conditions that no normal human being should ever have to live through.And I remind you... until you have read "Hoodwinked"... well.. then you just don't know.
Ignorance is bliss. It's your choice on staying that way, or looking for the real truth. Bottom line is, if you don't vote with wisdom, or you don't vote at all... you are part of the problem, not the solution. I simply ask you to open your eyes, and remove the blinders. I will not be upset if your opinion differs from mine, AFTER you see the real truth. And if you don't get that "New and Improved" really means that we changed the product (now its new) and 'improved' means we have cut down on the quality and/or quantity (we make more profits, hence 'improved') .. then you are guilty of being gullible to marketing.
You are the horse. .. Over there is the water .. I could take you there ... only you can decide if you want to drink.
P.s. - arena - maybe it will generate a lot. It probably won't, but that remains to be seen. What is true, is that Katz has been given a gift that will probably exceed in $600 million in personal profits for his own pocket. And for that, you get to have a nice warm fuzzy feeling. That is.. until the projects prove to be false in 20 years down the road, and you get stuck with a major tax hike to pay the outstanding bill. Kinda like pretty much every other arena deal done in North America has turned out. And don't be swayed by all of the 'announcements' of development which never showed their heads... until AFTER the last council meeting. If these projects really had ANY merit of truth, they would have ALL been brought forward a long time ago in order to show their support. Once again, this is nothing more than a slight of hand, preplanned marketing tactic.
Oh.. wait.. just like every other deal as well.. we are the exception to that.. Right? We must be. Our politicians have promised we will be...
Let's also not forget, the Provincial Government has a huge responsibility here to listen to the people, and to modify the MGA from it's vastly outdated rules... The people need a voice. And they continue to not allow that to happen. I patiently wait for someone to prove me wrong... but I kind of doubt the people will be allowed to speak. I mean after all, we can't let a poor billionaire lose out on 600 million dollars more in profits, can we..
I've also tried to balance some sound logic, combined with wisdom.. and a little bit of help (okay, I lied..a lot of help) from reading a most excellent book by the renowned author John Perkins, entitled "Hoodwinked". Hint.. google or bing "hoodwinked john perkins" and perhaps check out some of the various entries and youtube items.
As I write this post, the only one to step up for the Mayor's position has been Kerry Diotte. I personally like the approach Kerry takes, because he has a desire to listen to anyone. Just because you don't live in his riding doesn't seem to matter. He is one of the few people that wants to stand up for doing things better, rather than just pushing things through. Some heckle him for his supposed "lack of participation" in council, but his *logic* is sound. Yes, he didn't like the arena deal. He's not opposed to an arena, just a deal where taxpayers pay literally everything, and get nothing back. Sure, you could argue "but the city as a whole will" and that is very questionable.. Everywhere this type of project has been done, under the type of terms of this project.. has failed. To think we could be the 'universal exception' is insane. And I've heard he wants to re-think the bike lanes. Putting aside the need or not... the WAY they have been done is stupid. And this again points to just how many STUPID things council, administration, and planners have done. Anyway, as a side note.. there is this "but he doesn't do anything, he sits there and tweets all the time". And much of that comes from his assistant, not from him..
In my humble opinion, someone needs to reign in the insanity of stuff happening, because for sure we can't keep doing stupid things that waste money.
As far as Mayor Mandel goes, I doubt he will run again. Term after term has been full of lies after lies and deception combined with misdirection. A lot of people would like to see him charged criminally.
Next in the list would be Don Iveson. He's said he will not run for council again, but will run for Mayor. Don is the cute guy with the pretty wife, the "picture perfect" scenario that people love to believe in. And many think that the folks that back Mandel will pass their financial support to Don.Well... you will probably find (sadly, not until after the election) that a lot of huge corporate support will be behind anyone that was "pro arena" on council, because those corporations have a vested interest in seeing what THEY want done and for the most part.. that means what is good for them, not for you and me. Many have suggested Don will be a bought and paid for Mayor. That's not what I want. Top that off with his statement about the arena deal (paraphrased by me) suggesting that this deal was the best deal "we" could make. And he is right. It is. Except it's for Katz.. not for the city and certainly not for the taxpayers. But don't take my word for it, ask any valid unbiased economics professional and they will all say the same thing. Taxpayers have been screwed. There is also the issue with the airport. Don tweeted a "booyah" comment (around last summer I think) and I responded to him that he shouldn't be so happy because a baby died (likely) as a direct result of the best runway being closed. He had the nerve to respond by cutting ME down and accusing ME of trying to take advantage of the death. Well Don, facts are facts. Council was made aware of this baby's death and your attempt to me me look like the bad guy in it just smacks of your morals. Typical political pondering with words... insult the people.. to hell with the baby... who cares... *Jerk.
Who else will run, I have no clue on. So the next step would be the council side of things.
For the most part, most of those left on council are nothing more than "yes men" for Mandel. I have refereed to them as being "lap dogs" because they seem to come at the beck and call of the Mayor, and play 'fetch the stick with the message I wrote on it that I want you to say for me'.
Kimmie is a joke. She says she asks the "tough questions", and I guess asking what time dinner is served is pretty hard. (joking).. All you need to to is look at council transcripts and see she has been full of the "nudge nudge wink wink" things involving the CFO and City Manager. (side note.. both need to be fired when a new council comes in.. my opinion of course.)
Loken is another joke.. and another proven liar. Look at his election promises from before (I never really paid attention because he is not 'my' person, but the facts are out there) and from my own personal experience in dealing directly with him, he has lied to me. Again, all of that has been posted before. Not that long back, Loken was pissed at me because I was telling the truth. Not something that I had been screaming at him directly for days and days on end. Just the odd statement here and there. Many are aware of the thread, and he was forced to apologize "generically" but he never did apologize to me. Oh no.. The forever classy Mr. Loken decided that he would abuse his position as a council member and "suggest" to the police that I was a threat. And of course the police called to investigate, and harassed me over this. FOIP records from both EPS and the City show this. The cops for the most part (paraphrased again) knew his complaint was 'brain dead' but I got hassled none the less. Whats the matter Dave? You can't take the truth so you abuse the process to get your digs in? What a failure you are as a council member and as a human being. So petty, so pathetic..
There are a few on council who apparently have been 'bribed'.. (a term told to me by a trusted source within the City) with various things. Its been said that one council member was given the Mayors trip to China, in exchange for his arena vote. Circumstantial evidence would appear to imply that, since this council member came out with a huge "why we should" just before the trip..
I am not that totally aware of the others, but I have had much experience with my own council member, which is Caterina. Tony has got to be one of the biggest jokes I've ever seen.The lip service from him and his office is mind boggling to say the least. I've been after him for YEARS to set up an appointment and sit down with a coffee to discuss issues in my ward. I'm still waiting. .. A few years back, the city just showed up and covered over our concrete sidewalk with asphalt with zero warning. A complete waste of money, and I did complain about it. Someone came out and said "look, this will last for years" and I politely told them they were full of shit (again, paraphrased). Naturally, the next year it has started to fall apart and now its pretty much in a worse state than it was before... Anyway, the taxes for asphalt are less than for concrete.. and I've complained to Tony several times. Nothing has ever been done, and he has never once even returned any of my phone calls. So we keep paying more than what we should. And he clearly could care less. Add that in with his swishy-washy stance on the arena... Bottom line, you know what they say about how useful tits on a board are. Yep, that's my Tony. You are just another one of the many that do not deserve to be in the position you are in. I hope you are looking for another job, my friend..
Again.. please.. if you are going to comment on this, and start giving me crap about how out to lunch I am and that I don't have a clue what's going on.. I remind you, I am not a kid... at 59 years old I have been around the block several times, and I have way more life experience under my belt, in situations and conditions that no normal human being should ever have to live through.And I remind you... until you have read "Hoodwinked"... well.. then you just don't know.
Ignorance is bliss. It's your choice on staying that way, or looking for the real truth. Bottom line is, if you don't vote with wisdom, or you don't vote at all... you are part of the problem, not the solution. I simply ask you to open your eyes, and remove the blinders. I will not be upset if your opinion differs from mine, AFTER you see the real truth. And if you don't get that "New and Improved" really means that we changed the product (now its new) and 'improved' means we have cut down on the quality and/or quantity (we make more profits, hence 'improved') .. then you are guilty of being gullible to marketing.
You are the horse. .. Over there is the water .. I could take you there ... only you can decide if you want to drink.
P.s. - arena - maybe it will generate a lot. It probably won't, but that remains to be seen. What is true, is that Katz has been given a gift that will probably exceed in $600 million in personal profits for his own pocket. And for that, you get to have a nice warm fuzzy feeling. That is.. until the projects prove to be false in 20 years down the road, and you get stuck with a major tax hike to pay the outstanding bill. Kinda like pretty much every other arena deal done in North America has turned out. And don't be swayed by all of the 'announcements' of development which never showed their heads... until AFTER the last council meeting. If these projects really had ANY merit of truth, they would have ALL been brought forward a long time ago in order to show their support. Once again, this is nothing more than a slight of hand, preplanned marketing tactic.
Oh.. wait.. just like every other deal as well.. we are the exception to that.. Right? We must be. Our politicians have promised we will be...
Let's also not forget, the Provincial Government has a huge responsibility here to listen to the people, and to modify the MGA from it's vastly outdated rules... The people need a voice. And they continue to not allow that to happen. I patiently wait for someone to prove me wrong... but I kind of doubt the people will be allowed to speak. I mean after all, we can't let a poor billionaire lose out on 600 million dollars more in profits, can we..
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